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The sub drop hit her pretty hard. I also needed to take care of myself, but that would come after.

“I’m awake,” she said. “You can put me down.”

I let her feet hit the floor, and then chuckled as she stumbled against me, backing me against the wall. She leaned up and kissed me hard, surprising me.

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for tonight. And for getting me home. My whole body feels like it’s been hit with a truck.”

“Well,” I said, kissing her forehead. “We did a lot.”

She nodded, but then her hand settled over my heart. “Are you okay?”

My breath was soft but sharp. “I’m always worried after scenes that I did too much.”

Her hand was warm on my chest. “I loved every single thing you did to me tonight. I wanted it all, Salt. Every single part of it.”

I swallowed hard, holding her gaze. The shadows that danced over her beautiful face, the smudged mascara around her eyes from crying. I stroked her cheek with the back of my fingers.

“I can go home if you don’t want me to stay,” I whispered.

“I want you to stay,” she said. “I want you to sleep with me. In my bed. I want to wake up next to you. I want to dream next to you.”

Maybe that was what I needed to hear. All tension in my chest unraveled. I dragged her into another kiss. A soft one, a needy one. She knotted her fingers in my shirt, and pulled me forward, leading me to the kitchen.

Both of us were exhausted, but we were still going to take care of each other. It was filling something inside of me I hadn’t realized was missing until now.

I had a hard time being cared for.

An even harder time truly being vulnerable.

“What do you want to eat?” Pepper asked. “I can make us grilled cheese.”

My brows shot up. “Is that your choice of cuisine for aftercare?”

She grinned, her body language carefree and relaxed. “Grilled cheese and ice cream sounds pretty good right now. I may regret it tomorrow.”

“It sounds perfect to me,” I said. “I can cook it?—”

“I have a specific way I make them,” she said, wrinkling her nose at me. “Just relax. Or something.”

“I’m going to get us water, Ms. Boss.”

Her soft laugh warmed me. I opened up her cabinets, searching for glasses. I found two, and poured us each a cup with ice and water.

Pepper pulled out a lot of different cheeses. I shook my head as I spotted the price tag on a couple. “You can’t judge until you taste it,” she said. “I make the best grilled cheese.”

“Kraft Singles are known to do the trick,” I teased.

“So is this gruyere I’d sell my firstborn for.”

I barked out a laugh. “Okay, well, drink this before you start doing that. You need to hydrate.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Such a brat. She reached for the glass and took a tentative sip.

“All of it,” I said.

“I’ll drink it all,” she said. “Tell me about aftercare.”

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